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Web-only letters to the editor, Feb. 7, 2012

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Tuesday February 7, 2012 10:23 AM

Dispatch.com regularly will post letters to the editor that don't make it to print in The
Dispatch. Unlike letters to the editor that appear in the newspaper, Web-only letters have not been
edited.

Environmental protection

I have lived in rural Licking County all my life and value the nature of my existence as much
as anything. Over six decades, I have seen much change, but nothing like what has occurred
over the last two weeks as the normal calm and quiet has been disrupted by a stream of heavy
equipment, , drilling rigs and brine trucks moving from site to site with amazing speed. What was
going on?

We in the country depend on the integrity of our air, soil and water for our existence, but
unlike municipalities we are individually responsible for our own water sources. Without our wells
or springs we have nothing and I would hope everyone can recognize this as a legitimate concern.

My guess was that this activity involved gas/oil exploration but since there was no prior
notification from the owners, the gas exploration company or public officials, the last two weeks
have involved a frantic search for information and avenues of action to try and protect what is
essential.

My first call was to the gas exploration company who posted their contact information only
after the driveway was cut and the drilling rig was installed and operating. As of this writing
they have still not returned my call despite a plea with their land acquisitions agent who stopped
by to ask for a right of way for a distribution pipeline.

I learned more from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), which solely administers
and regulates oil and gas exploration in our state.

Our local township and county governments currently have no authority regarding gas/oil
exploration in our area other than the issue of driveway permits although there may be a
local input should the operator apply to install the distribution pipeline through local
greenspace.

The Licking County Health Department was helpful in telling me that as far as
environmental protection, the EPA does have a law protecting water from industrial pollution from
activities such as gas exploration, but proof can be contentious and dependent on a baseline water
analysis conducted prior to the activity. No predrilling water analysis is required to be done in
townships with populations less than 5000. Areas with a population greater than 5000 are considered
urban and predrilling water analysis is required, but only within a 300ft. radius of the wellhead.
Considering the required acreage for gas exploration, this radius seems absolutely
minimal since aquifers and gas formations are not bound by such manmade constructs.

An individual can at their own expense have their own water tested prior to drilling but it
must be done by an independent EPA certified lab. This of course assumes that you actually have the
time to contract for this service before the drilling begins. In my case I was able to contract for
water analysis as a baseline against which potential pollution could be compared, but only hours
before the drilling rig was erected- again, because of the lack of notification and the speed with
which this is occurring.

It also occurred to me that a homeowners insurance company may insure my water supply against
industrial pollution. But to date none of the companies I contacted offer such a policy. I can’t
help but wonder if this is an indicator of the risk involved.

There is the time honored adage to hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Depending on your level of concern or interest and assuming no prior notification, I would
advise looking for activity by geophysical service companies doing geologic analysis and the
appearance of driveways or crossroads appearing suddenly in odd locations. You can also check the
ODNR website to see where permits are being issued.

I would like to urge the gas/oil industry including property owners, exploration companies
and drilling companies to voluntarily notify neighbors in advance as a common courtesy. It seems to
me that the natural gas industry would have a vested interest in diffusing the fear that comes with
uncertainty and ignorance.

It seems apparent this is only the beginning of natural gas drilling in Licking County and
Ohio, what with the new technologies for accessing the deeper more complicated shales including the
Utica and Marcellus shale that sit beneath our homes. Attorney General Dewine (R) is concerned that
Ohio does not have proper disclosure and other regulations to protect the public (see Youngstown
Vindicator Jan.26,2012). I would obviously include notification as a pre-requisite to drilling as
well with enough time and information for citizens to determine their own level of concern and
action.

While business and industry can help ensure our security through self regulation and due
diligence, and while our government can help with proper regulation, the strength of our collective
well-being lies in the freedom of information and, above all, the commitment and vigilance of our
citizenry, individually and communally, to act for ourselves to protect our precious water land and
air resources. To that end a local group has recently formed a website that can be accessed at
www.lcountyfracking.org. The entire text of this edited letter appears on that website.

Richard Downs, GranvilleIdentity fraud

Last week’s arrest of Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona suggests that the Indians
lineup card might need a makeover. The right-hander who won 19 games for Cleveland in 2007 and 13
in 2010 might not be who he says he is. Dominican authorities claim he’s actually 31-year-old
Roberto Hernández Heredia, not the 28-year-old the Indians think he is.

The Dominican legal process has yet to run its course, but it doesn’t come as a surprise to
baseball fans that a major league player has been accused of passing himself off as someone else.
Life as a major leaguer earning millions of dollars is a powerful incentive and there is no
shortage of highly talented impoverished teenagers willing to invent a younger self for the
opportunity to realize that dream.

But as Carmona quickly learned last week, that dream can suddenly collapse. Not only is his
$7 million salary for next season on hold, he’s likely to have difficulty getting back into the
country once he settles his legal troubles in the Dominican Republic. Even assuming the Indians
want a 31-year-old Heredia as much as a 28-year-old Carmona, U.S. immigration law might have a more
powerful role dictating whether Cleveland fans get to see this former All Star in the lineup.

Carmona has been accused of knowingly lying about his name and age in violation of Dominican
law. In a word, he has been accused of fraud. As an immigrant, it is up to him to prove that he is
eligible to be admitted into the United States, including that he has not been convicted of a “
crime involving moral turpitude.” Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen who has been convicted of a
crime involving moral turpitude is barred from entering the country, unless they can convince the
government to make an exception.

Part of immigration law since 1891, the moral turpitude provision includes all manner of
crimes. It “refers generally to conduct that shocks the public conscience as being inherently base,
vile, or depraved, contrary to the rules of morality and the duties owed between man and man,
either one’s fellow man or society in general,” according to the immigration appellate court. At
one time or another, turnstile jumping, writing a bad check, and using another name on U.S.
passport application have been considered inherently base, vile, or depraved.

Carmona’s identity fraud charge seems to fall right at the core of the moral turpitude
provision. In a 1951 decision, the Supreme Court explained, “crimes in which fraud was an
ingredient have always been regarded as involving moral turpitude.” If the allegations are true,
then Carmona lied about his identity for the very purpose of defrauding the Indians.

This would make him one of the more famous “criminal aliens” that the Department of Homeland
Security and immigration restrictionists decry so frequently. In fiscal year 2010, DHS reported, it
removed 168,532 “criminal aliens.” Many, like Carmona, have done nothing that would make most of us
fear for our safety.

Few people would not invent a younger self for the chance to work hard playing a game they
love under the bright lights of a major league ballpark and making millions upon millions of
dollars in the process. Fewer still would judge a poor kid with no other way of escaping poverty
who does that.

But the “criminal alien” of DHS statistics and restrictionists’ rhetoric makes no allowance
for subtlety. Neither does immigration law. Among the 168,532 “criminal aliens” that DHS points to
as evidence of its success making our communities safer are 30,808 convicted of traffic violations
and 31,585 convicted of immigration-related crimes. Another 3,849 were convicted of fraudulent
activities.

It might be time to add Carmona to that tally. If that happens, the only people who might
sleep more comfortably are opposing batters. The rest of us, Indians fans or not, are unlikely to
reap much benefit from having his $7 million arm and the taxes it accumulates stuck in the
Dominican Republic.

César García Hernández, ColumbusNeighbor to Neighbor

Ohio is experiencing a mild winter so far, yet many families continue to struggle to keep up
with their bills and face difficult decisions whether to pay for utilities or other essentials.
Typically this occurs with a loss of a job or an unforeseen expense that leaves the family short of
money.

In many cases the need for assistance is temporary, yet many families don’t qualify for
traditional assistance programs and they face disconnection of service. In May 2009, AEP Ohio and
Dollar Energy Fund joined to create a program called Neighbor to Neighbor to help those households.

More than 70 percent of those who have received Neighbor to Neighbor assistance are earning
wages through employment or have retirement or disability income. This means the vast majority of
the households needing help are working and/or living on a fixed income.

Since the 2009 launch more than 21,000 Ohio households in the AEP Ohio service territory have
received $5.28 million. In Franklin County, nearly 10,000 households have received more than $2.5
million in assistance.

The Salvation Army has found the Neighbor to Neighbor program to be a valuable tool to
provide a little support for those hardest hit by the slow economy. Many of the families and
individuals that we see have never sought out assistance previously.

Another valuable feature of the Neighbor to Neighbor program is that AEP Ohio customers may
help others in need through one-time donations or by paying extra on their monthly electric bills.
AEP Ohio then matches those donations to double the impact. To make a donation to the Neighbor to
Neighbor program, AEP Ohio customers can do so through their monthly bill or visit
www.dollarenergyfund.org.